ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. rule — a law
  3. degree — from a university
  4. rule — government
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. ball — a great time
  9. pop — to visit
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. degree — temperature
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. pop — soda
  17. ball — a dance
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. degree — an amount
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. kid — child
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. pop — music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com